


Rise of Darkness

by PainIsBlanc



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Abuse, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Jack Frost/Pitch Black Feels, M/M, Post-Rise of the Guardians, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 00:29:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11520711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PainIsBlanc/pseuds/PainIsBlanc
Summary: One year has past since the setting of the movie and the children of the world lives in peace and without fear. But this won't last for forever. Pitch Black wants revenge on the boy who destroyed everything for him. Jack Frost feels guilt for what he put the Nightmare King through. But will the two spirits discover something else in the seek for vengence and reparation?Extremely cheesy summary, I know :pPs! Just to make things clear: this will not be a healthy, simply cute and romantic relationship. There will be abuse and hurt. But also comfort and finding safety with someone that understands you.





	1. Prologue

Jack lay in his bed. It was dark and outside the snow tapped angrily against the window. Since he officially had became a Guardian, North had let him live in one of the many rooms in his toy factory. Usually Jack had nothing against sleeping outside; it felt too crowded, too... 'unfree' to be inside, but tonight the weather was too harsh even for him. He had realized that he seemed to have very little control over the weather surrounding the North Pole. It seemed as if the snow here answered to no one else than itself. It both scared and fascinated Jack. But right now he could find no rest to speculate about the habits of snow. There were other things that bothered his minds and that had bothered it for the past year. He rolled over onto his stomach and pressed his knuckles to his temples.

"Get out of my head!" he hissed, silently cursing into his pillow. But the words in his mind kept repeating themselves as clear as if the man who had spoken them was in the room:

_"No?! I don't know what it's like to be cast out? To not be believed in?"_

Jack sighed heavily and sat up, rubbing his face in agony. Pitch Black had threatened Jamie, in fact, he had threatened the future of all children on Earth, and still Jack couldn't help but to feel like a traitor. For 300 years the snow spirit had been looking for someone who understood him. Pitch had been doing the same since the Dark Ages. And even if North had been telling Jack over and over again that there was no resemblance between him and the Nightmare king, Jack still at times couldn't let go of the thought that he had more in common with the enemy, than with the other Guardians. The white-haired teen looked out at the snow. He opened the window and threw himself out, letting the raging winds catch him and take him high up in the sky. He closed his eyes and let the cold snow wash away all thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to! BlackFrost is one of my greatest otp and I'm stunned that I can't find many interesting fanfics with them as lovers. 
> 
> Now, I'm living by the principle that "If you can't find it, create it". So here I am...by my computer...creating...again... -_-'
> 
> This fanfic will contain angst and sex, (though you won't see "the whole thing" of the later, if you get what I mean). I will really try to keep all characters in, well, character and write something that I myself would like to read. Please tell me if I succeeded :D  
> And short chapter is short but this is just the prologue so bear with me!
> 
>  
> 
> Kisses  
> Chicca


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm gonna kill'im! Don't try to stop me, North!" North turned around, still holding the little train he had been painting.  
  
"Bunny! How nice to see you. When did you get here?" he asked with his thick Russian accent and a big smile on his face.  
  
"Where's he?" Bunnymund asked harshly, ignoring North's question.  
  
"Who?" the big man said, his eyebrows going up in a questioning expression.  
  
"Who'd ye think? The little snow brat, of course!" A laughter was suddenly heard throughout the factory and the Easter Bunny looked up, only to see named 'snow brat' lazily lying on one of the ceiling rafters. He was looking down at the two figures below him with an amused smirk on his face.  
  
"Get down ye wimp! And we'll settle this like men, once and for all!" Bunny shouted and shook his fist at Jack. The pale skinned teen only smiled.  
  
"Seriously, Bunny; it was just one lake!" he laughed.  
  
"That one lake holds half of my water reserves, you little bitc..."  
  
"Now, now gentlemen, let's not argue. I'm sure the water has melted when you get back home, Bunny," North said and lay a gentle hand on the Easter Bunny's shoulder. The pooka sighed and rolled his eyes.  
  
"I hope so. For his sake!" he pointed at Jack. "But I don't have time for this. Easter is 'round the corner and I need to get all the eggs and chocolate ready on time. This year must be something extraordinary!" He gave Jack one last death glare before stomping a tunnel in the floor and within seconds, he was gone. North stared up at the ceiling.  
  
"Jack!?" he said reproachfully, only to be given a heavy sigh as response before the winter spirit popped his head out and looked down.  
  
"Could you come down here, please?" Santa asked and pointed at the floor. Jack inhaled, fully aware of the scolding he was about to get. North had become like a father to him, but sometimes he wished that the big man would leave him be just once in a while. Jack jumped down and landed like a cat in front of North. He stood up, eyeing his wand indifferently.  
  
"Why you keep pestering poor Bunny, hm?"  
  
"Because he needs it! Just look at that guy! He's always so grumpy and so boring. He needs to relax and leave his rabbit-hole more often."  
  
"And you think freezing his water two days before Easter is good way for him to 'relax'"? North asked with a raised eyebrow. Jack shrugged and turned away without answering, a little sting of guilt swimming in his stomach. But just a little. The big Russian smiled to himself and shook his head. Even though the boy was over 300 years old, he was still as stubborn as the teenager he had been before that. North walked over to the white haired spirit.  
  
"You see, Jack; as Guardians we look after, not only the children of the world, but also each other. We are family, yes? Try to give Bunny a rest. At least till Easter is over. Agreed?" Jack nodded and turned to face the man.  
  
"Agreed."

 

**/\/\/\**

 

In the middle of a clearing in the forest of Burgess, was a big hole in the ground. For many years there had been, for some strange reason, a broken bed placed over it. But what puzzled people even more was that a year ago, the bed had suddenly disappeared without a trace. This was indeed a riddle, because surely no one took a bed under their arm and walked away, no matter how desperate this person might be to find somewhere to sleep. However, the grownups of Burgess found that the hole was a danger to their children. No one knew how deep it was and where it might lead and no one was willing to find out. There was something about it that scared them, something that they had forgotten, like the earliest memories of childhood... So the day after the bed had so suddenly vanished, the grownups collected some nails and boards and headed into the clearing to cover up the hole, in case some children would get the urge to lean a tad too close to the edge, or decide to have a skipping contest across it. What scared the grownups even more, was the realization that the closer they came to the clearing, the less birds seemed to be singing.

He was still but a shadow, lurking and waiting in the darkness. But Pitch could feel how he grew stronger for every day that passed. He would soon be able to leave this hell hole, this place that constantly reminded him of how careless he had been. He had not counted on how strong the powers of _fun_ could be and he hissed, his eyes burning like coals when he remembered the face of a certain Guardian. Yes, he would wait. It wouldn't be long now, he could feel it. And when he was strong enough he would return. Sure, the humans had sealed the entrance, but both he and his nightmares knew how to creep through little cracks. He didn't care about the other Guardians. All that was in his mind was to take revenge on Jack Frost!


	3. Chapter 3

Jamie Bennett's eyes were wide open. He could not move and he wasn't sure whether he was awake or not. But what he _was_ sure of was the tall shadow lingering jus beside the wardrobe. It was dark, had the shape of a human and, most of all, it was scary. The shadow walked closer to the bed and grinned and Jamie got a glimpse of sharp teeth glimmering in the dark. The figure was standing beside the bed now and the boy could feel his racing heartbeats. But still, he could not move and he could not close his eyes. All he could do was lying there and watch as the shadow laughed with no sound and leaned closer down towards him...

Jamie woke up with a loud gasp. He switched the light on and gazed around the room with fast, deep breaths. There was no sign of a shadow anywhere. It had all just been a dream. _No,_ Jamie thought and fear started to crawl inside his veins once more. _It was a nightmare..._ But, the Bogeyman was gone, wasn't he? Jamie had been there and watched as the Nightmares dragged him away to Gods-know-where. Still Jamie couldn't ignore facts; he had had a nightmare, and there was only one person that could create bad dreams... Jamie's eyes widened in fear and realization and he dragged his knees up to his chin in a try to make himself as small as possible.

"He's back..." he whispered to the darkness.

**/\/\/\**

"What's up with that dot?" Jack asked suddenly out of the blue and eyed the big, golden globe in the middle of North's toy factory.

"Dot?" North asked and put down his cup of eggnog. He stood up from his comfortable arm chair and walked up next to Jack who was now pointing at one of the little lights, symbolizing one of the children of Earth. It was flickering intensively and gave off an alarming beep. North tilted his head to the side.

"That's curious," he said. "I haven't seen a light like that since…" His voice faded away.

"What?" Jack asked, worry written all over his features.

"...since last year, when Pitch returned..." North ended his sentence in a whisper. Sandy, who had been visiting the toy factory and was just about to leave, eyed the globe with suspicion. He then pointed at the dot and a dreamsand statue of Thaddeus Burgess formed above his head. Jack's eyes widened when he realized it was the monument he had sent a certain first believer straight into a year ago.

"Jamie!" Jack gasped and threw himself out through a window before anyone had the time to stop him.

"Jack, wait!" North shouted after him, but the winds had already carried the frost spirit away.  


**/\/\/\**  
  


The city of Burgess was still dark but a pink light just above the horizon declared that the morning was coming on swift wings. It would be a chilly one with snow at the end of the day, if Jack wouldn't forget from worry. He wanted to give the children in Burgess one last snow day before spring would kick in for real. Bunny had even made him to solemnly swear that the snow would melt till Easter before he dared to let Jack out of his sight.

The winds carried said frost teen fast through the air, knocking a few trash cans over on the way. Finally he landed on the roof right outside Jamie's window. It made a creaking noise when he opened it and he immediately saw a tensed figure looking at him from the bed with terrified eyes. Jack delayed no longer and hurried inside. He was greeted with a tight hug from the brown haired boy.

"I saw him," Jamie whispered.

"It's okay now," Jack said soothingly, patting the child's head.

"But it isn't! It was Pitch! I had a nightmare, Jack," Jamie said with a slight shiver in his voice. Jack felt a cold spark throughout his spine as the realization hit but he did his best to not show it in front of the child. The last thing he needed now was a panicking Guardian in his room. Instead Jack did his best to comfort him.

"Don't be afraid, Jamie. That will only make him stronger, if it even is him."

"It is!" Jamie said firmly and his voice showed no sign of uncertainty. Jack sighed.

"You know what? I will talk to North and the others and see what they suggest we do. For now, I'm just happy you're okay buddy." He rustled the boy's hair and received a giggle in return.

"So what are you going to do today?" Jack asked in an attempt to make Jamie think of something else. It worked and Jamie gave Jack a huge grin. His missing tooth from the sledge incident had grown out but instead he was now missing two others. Jack couldn't help but smile a little at how funny it made the boy look.

"I and a few more will be having a snowball fight. You wanna join? There isn't much snow left but if you're there too..." Jamie said and looked at Jack with a mischievous smile and anticipation clearly written all over his features. Jack laughed.

"It sounds tempting but I'm sorry, Jamie. I have to talk to the other Guardians about your nightmare."

All happiness was suddenly wiped out from Jamie's face and a mask of fear took its place, but only for a split second, before he remembered Jack's word's about not being afraid. After all; he and the other children had been present when the Nightmare King had been defeated. He hadn't been afraid then, so why now? He smiled at Jack and nodded but the Guardian could see a slight uncertainty in the child's eyes.

"I promise I'll come another time and I'll make more snowballs than you can ever throw, deal?" Jack said and reached out his pinky towards the boy. Jamie hooked it with his own.

"Deal!" he smiled.

Jack rustled his hair one more time before heading for the window. He waved a 'good bye' to the boy before making a back flip outside and disappear with the wind. Soon after that, the snow started to fall silently in big flakes. 

Jack let the wind carry him over the rooftops and waved at any child who was awake. They waved back and Jack felt a sting of happiness erupt throughout his body at the feeling of being seen, of being believed in. It was a wonderful sensation and after 300 years of invisibility, he couldn't get enough of it. It made him feel alive and important.

Suddenly a shadow passed him in high speed and was close to falling to the ground. he stopped dead in his motions and landed on a nearby telephone wire. He looked around to catch a glimpse of whatever it had been that almost knocked him over. A hoarse neighing came from a dark alley and Jack followed the sound with beating heart and raised staff. When the darkness from the walls towered over him he saw it; one of Pitch's Nightmares! Jack gasped. It looked so different, more like a skeleton than a living horse and it moved with sick, twitching movements. But there was no doubt of what it was. Jamie had been right.

The Nightmare stared at Jack, almost taunting him with its golden eyes, before it suddenly turned around and galloped away towards the forest. Now, a smarter and more experienced Guardian would probably have waited and went for advice and help. But the thing with Jack was that he always reacted on his emotions and in most cases without thinking. So he chased after the being into the forest. 

 

**/\/\/\**

 

Jack had almost lost track of the horse-looking creature when it suddenly reappeared behind him. He turned quickly and sent a frosty flash of ice from his staff towards it, but the Nightmare only disappeared into a shadow and showed up again a few trees away. It was fast for looking so weak.

"Why aren't you attacking?" Jack asked in a confused whisper. The mare only shook her mane as an answer.

"She's not strong enough, Jack Frost," a voice suddenly said. Jack twirled around trying to localize the speaker. He was met with an all too familiar laughter that seemed to be floating around the trees. Jack raised his staff for protection.

"Show yourself, Pitch. I know it’s you!"

The laughter died out and a form of black and silver sand started to materialize to Jack's left.

"Good," it spoke. "Then I guess you’re not as dumb as you look." Jack took a step towards the voice and found himself looking straight into the burning eyes of Pitch Black. His attention was then directed to Pitch's whole figure who now stepped out from the shadows and into the dim light of the rising sun. Jack gasped at the sight.

Pitch looked thinner and, if possible, even more pale and sickly. He seemed to be a lot older and his eyes were now more like the glow of a fire that refuses to die than the burning gold and silver they had been a year ago. Jack realized that the reason to why they had looked so bright just now was because Pitch had been lurking in the shadows.

"What happened to you?" Jack couldn't help but ask, while lowering his staff a little. The man before him only laughed coldly.

"Are you really the one to ask?" Pitch replied, now circling the frost spirit with smooth movements, but Jack could sense a slight limping as he walked. Had the Nightmares hurt him when they dragged him down the hole?

"What do you mean?" Jack said with a raised eyebrow. Pitch stopped in his motions and eyed Jack with disbelief. Suddenly he vanished into a shadow.

"You destroyed everything for me that night, Frost! And even though it wasn't your fight you had to play noble," his voice echoed around Jack, bounced between tree trunks and came whispering so close to Jack that he felt shivers run down his spine. He turned around and let a spark of ice shoot at where he thought the Bogeyman was but then Pitch's voice was heard from a completely different location. Jack didn't like this. It reminded him all too well about the time when had lost Baby Tooth.

"It's a pity really." Pitch suddenly walked out from a shadow and looked at Jack with a wicked grin.

"You were so promising," he continued. "Together we would've been invincible!"

Jack sighed and met the other spirit's eyes with anger in his own, icy ones.

"I've told you before but it seems like you don't get it. I'm not interested! Why can't you just leave me and my friends in piece?" he yelled and turned to walk away. A snarl was heard behind him and he turned back just as a black and grey force hit him hard and forced his back against a fallen tree trunk. Jack's staff flew out of his hand as the Nightmare King pressed his entire bodyweight over him. His wrists were held tightly by the other man and even though Jack tried to bring up all his strength to push Pitch away, he found that he couldn't. The blow had hit him in the diaphragm and he had a hard time catching his breath. His eyes started to water from the pain in his wrists as they were forcefully bent backwards. Pitch leaned in closer.

"Then, little spirit of fun, I will destroy you and everything that you care about," he whispered in his ear and Jack, still fighting to get free, felt how the other man's chilly breath made his skin crawl with goose bumps.

"I will come for you," Pitch whispered threateningly into Jacks ear before grabbing his hair and slamming his head hard against the trunk. Jack gritted his teeth in pain and felt how Pitch let go of him. The teen fell to the ground as the dizziness spread. He tried to stand up but his vision was nothing but a blur and he fell to his knees again. Just before he lost his consciousness he heard Pitch's laughter and a sentence uttered with a smile and the sound of devilish amusement in it.  

"You should've taken my offer, Jack Frost."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another one! This is a little longer. Yay! :D  
> Until next time, stay lovely!
> 
> Kisses  
> Chicca


	4. Chapter 4

"Oy! Frosty! It's time to wake up, mate."

Jack was abruptly ripped from his unconscious state as a furry paw slapped him over the face.

"Hey! What was that for?" Jack shrieked with wide eyes and jumped up from the ground. He immediately regretted doing so as a headache literally exploded inside of his skull. He rubbed his temples to get rid of the pain but to no avail. Meanwhile the big, grey Australian Guardian in front of him only stared at him in slight amusement.

"Ye refused to wake up. Almost thought ye were a goner. Come on now. The others want to know where ye've been." The Easter Bunny stomped a hole in the ground and before Jack had any time to protest, a pair of strong paws had grabbed him and dragged him through miles of whirling tunnels until they reached Santoff Claussen.

"A piece of warning would've been nice. I barely managed to grab my staff," Jack complained and swung his shepherd's crook nonchalantly over his shoulders. The movement made him dizzy again and he had to shut his eyes to not fall over in the snow. The bang against the tree must've been harder than he first thought.

"Ye're one thankful bastard. I could've just left ye there, ye know," Bunny replied with every word dripping with sarcasm.

"Nah, I think you care too much about me to do that," Jack said with his signature smirk.

"Just sip it, Snowflake!" the Pooka growled threateningly.

 

**/\/\/\**

 

The second Jack entered the toy factory he was greeted with two big, purple eyes that stared at him with worry.

"How are you, Jack? Where have you been? How are your teeth?"

"How are my-"

Before he could finish his sentence a pair of small hands was showed into his mouth to examine his teeth. Toothiana then smiled happily.

"Nope, they seem fine. They sparkle as nicely as always," she said and let go of him. Jack rubbed his neck in embarrassment. It had been a little too much invasion of his personal space today for his liking.

"Tooth! Please!" North's voice rumbled and named Tooth Fairy smiled apologetic at Jack. The big Russian then turned to the boy.

"What happened Jack? Is Jamie okay?"

Jack sat down on one of Father Christmas big, red armchairs in front of the fireplace. His body gratefully welcomed the rest.

"Yeah, he's alright. He just had a..uhm..." He cut himself short, not really knowing how to proceed.

"What, Jack?" Tooth asked, now with even more concern in her voice. Jack felt a bit uncomfortable when suddenly four pair of eyes was directed at him and he twirled his staff awkwardly.

"He, kinda, had a nightmare," he finally blurted out. There was no use in sugarcoating it; they had to find out eventually. But that also meant they had to find out about his careless acting and he didn't look forward to that scolding. A moment of silence followed as the four original Guardians pondered what had just been said. Sandy was the first to break the silence. Or rather he tried to but the combination of being short and not able to speak was an obstacle. He tried to catch the others' attention but when no one as usual seemed to notice him he simply flew up in front of Jack's face. With grumpy expressions he pointed at his own head where a dreamsand picture of Pitch Black followed by a question mark was formed.

"Exactly what I guess we all are thinking," North said and patted his stomach as a verification that he had felt it, in his belly! Bunny looked at his Russian friend and rolled his eyes.

"But that isn't all, is it? How come I found ye all knocked out?" he asked where he stood lamely leaning against the wall and raised a slight accusingly eyebrow at the frost teen.

"What!?" the Tooth Fairy shouted and flew towards Jack with anxiousness painting her features. Jack gently tried to wave her away but to no avail.

"I'm fine Tooth. Really, I am," he said but the words were not around near to convince the Guardian of memories. She sat down next to him on the armrest and looked at him like a mother who had just heard that her child had been beat up at school. Well, frankly, that metaphor was in fact not too far from the truth. Jack could feel Bunny's eyes drill into him and somehow Jack knew that the Pooka had already guessed, if not all the truth so at least a part of it. He was after all the one who had found Jack. Who knew what he had been seeing or sniffing up before the frost spirit came to his senses? As a confirmation to his thoughts Bunny suddenly took a step forward and pointed at Jack.

"Ye met Pitch, didn't ye?"

For a second Jack was caught off guard and felt like a child who had been doing something not allowed and now his parents had found out. But he quickly came back to his cocky self and stood up from the armchair, prepared to give a (hopefully) reassuring answer that he was fine and maybe taunt the ‘kangaroo’ a bit for being worried. But before he had the time to respond, North broke in between the two. He looked at Jack with his blue eyes gleaming with concern and for a swift moment Jack felt ashamed of being the reason for his agitation.

"Is this true, Jack?" North asked softly. Jack looked away from the older man. Damn he was stupid! Why couldn't he just have let the Nightmare go and return to Santoff Clausen like the mature and responsible Guardian he was supposed to be? He could feel everyone in the room holding their breaths, while awaiting his answer with their eyes darted at him. The atmosphere was so tense he felt that he could've touched it. Eventually he gave a soft nod that was almost invisible. Behind him he could her Toothiana gasp at the realization.

"Bunny, how did you know?" North asked without taking his eyes from Jack who still refused to meet any of the others' gazes.

"There was Nightmare sand in the clearing where I found the lad and it was the same forest in which Pitch disappeared. Not hard to figure out," Bunny explained and then continued:

"I think it's about time ye tell us the whole story, mate. Or do ye want us to keep guessing?"

"Bunny, please..." Tooth said with her brow furrowed as she flew closer to Jack and put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Even Sandy came closer and showed a dreamsand picture of the four of them fighting Pitch Black.

"Like Sandy say," North said. "To defeat Pitch you must tell us what happened. Is he strong?"

Jack shook his head and then started telling, still concentrating his gaze on the all of a sudden very interesting floor. He told them all about the sick Nightmare and then the encounter with Pitch himself. But he left out the King of Shadows' threat. He was still not used to people caring and he didn't want them to worry more than they already did. He would deal with this like he had dealt with everything for the past 300 years: alone.

"And then, well he kind of knocked me out," Jack shrugged and tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, like it was no big deal at all. The others just stared at him. This was a little too much to take in. Not only had their old enemy already gathered pretty much of his former strength but he had also attacked one of their own.

"Jack, I don't really think you understand how serious this is," Tooth said softly and turned him around to face her. With one hand she smoothly tilted his chin so that he was forced to look at her. The action was so unexpected that Jack was caught completely off guard and for a moment he felt something warm move inside him at the sensation of being touched. And for a brief second Tooth saw straight into his eyes and realized how much he had been longing for another person's comfort with no ways of getting it. It almost broke her heart to see him so vulnerable. It lasted no longer than it takes for someone to blink their eyes, then Jack pulled away and gave her that self confident smirk that masked all his pain, even from himself.

"I said I'm fine guys. Besides, Pitch is no match for this baby and my powers," he said and waved his staff, while playfully showing off his as good as nonexistent biceps.

"Now listen, Frosty. Toothiana is right. This is serious business and ye can't just shake'em off like minor problems. This is something new," the Pooka stated with knitted eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, now feeling an uneasiness crawling up his back. Sandy came up to him and pointed directly at the frost teen with an uneasy wrinkle on his forehead. North looked at the little golden man and nodded.

"He wants revenge on you, Jack. He sees you as the reason to his downfall."

All dreams and thoughts about him betraying (in lack of a better word) Pitch, suddenly came back to Jack. The Nightmare King was looking for revenge on him because either he had wanted it or not, by refusing to join Pitch, Jack had led to his defeat. The King of Shadows would never be stronger than the five of them. But his powers combined with the frost spirit's...well, that was a whole other matter. Fear was threatening to take control over Jack's heart but he would not let the others see it. Instead he just laughed.

"Really? And he thinks he can take me? Wow, that year in solitude must have made him crazier than we first thought."

"Jack this is certainly nothing to laugh about. He is dangerous and unpredictable!" Tooth tried in vain. She was horrified over how lightly Jack seemed to take this. How he had survived so long on his own was for her a mystery.

"There's no need to worry,” Jack said for what felt like the hundred time that day. “I got this," he continued and grinned in a try to let the matter go. He was more in a mood for cookies than discussing the overhanging threat of him getting his ass kicked by some vengeful Bogeyman.

"Dammit Jack, why can't ye get it? If he messes with one of us he messes with us all. We're family now. So don't come here acting like it's not a big deal, 'cause it's sure as bloody hell is!"

They all stared at Bunnymund in surprise and slight amusement. It was nothing new that the big rabbit had a short temper but this was really interesting. He showed not only an annoyance towards Pitch attacking Jack but also a rather high level of caring for the frost spirit. And had he just involved Jack in the word "family"? The Guardian of fun was unsure of whether he would laugh at, tease or hug the big Australian. He found it wisest to do nothing. Bunny suddenly realized his own mistake as he saw the looks on his friends' faces.

"I mean eh...it's... Oh, crikey!" he blurted out and threw his paws up in the air and walked over to warm himself by the fire. The truth was that he did care about Jack. He saw him as a nephew; someone that would be there either he wanted it or not and even if that someone was annoying at times he couldn't help but to feel a responsibility to help and care for that person. But as it was now, Bunny would rather cut off his own tail than admit it to any of the others, even though it was pretty obvious already.

"Anyway, Bunny and Tooth is right. You are in danger, my boy and before we are certain of what we are dealing with I want you to stay in workshop," North said after he had suppressed a laughter that would not help with calming the Guardian of hope down. Jack stared at the Russian Santa in disbelief. 

"You're telling me that Pitch knocks me unconscious and _I'm_ the one you're giving house arrest?"

"Not the way I would put it but yes. You can see it as punishment for you being so reckless but above all it's for your own safety," North explained with a chuckle but the look on his face told Jack that there was no point in arguing.

"Great," Jack muttered. "I'll be in my room if you want anything."

He then headed towards named room but as soon as he was out of the Guardians' sight he went for one of the big windows in Santoff Claussen. No way would they keep him locked in! He could handle Pitch. He hadn't been prepared before that was all. The tension of being the cause of everyone's worry had almost choked him and he needed to get out, to feel the wind around him and his powers bend to his will. He would be back before anyone noticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know you're addicted to a movie when you're writing a fanfic and baking cookies at the same time and then loudly to yourself calls out with a Russian accent "Still waiting for cookies!" 
> 
> Oh and I just found the idea of Bunny calling Jack "the lad" adorable :P
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos! I would love to hear further what you think about this story so far. Good, bad, nice pace, awful grammar, etc? ;)
> 
> Stay awesome lovelies!  
> Hugs and kisses  
> Chicca


End file.
